Sintel's Story
by TheChronicler137
Summary: A story based off Blender Foundation's free movie Sintel. Probably the first such fanfic. Provides extensive backstory and sequel based on it.
1. Massacre

_Chapter 1: Massacre_

The boy and his father trekked through the woods. Regen, the boy, looked out. He felt like he had been walking forever, but his feet were used to this kind of punishment. He spied a black form on the ground, not twenty metres away. Gesturing to his father, the blacksmith, he quickened his pace.

The blacksmith looked at it, eyes narrowed with suspicion. He turned over the body, which was clad in black armour, and saw that familiar emblem, the black dragon rising over a sea of blood. His eyes widened in surprise. He had been expecting this, but still.

Venturing further on, the two spotted many more such bodies, all dead. Many looked as though they were charred. Some seemed to have been stomped on by some giant creature, others like they had been shredded by massive claws. A few appeared to have been killed conventionally. Picking their way through the bodies, they finally reached the centre of all the violence.

There, slumped on the ground, were two massive dragons, one pale blue, one fire crimson. Their thick, scaly hide had been cut in multiple places. Walking past the fallen dragons, they passed more fallen warriors. Most of these appeared to have been killed by humans. Skin slashed by swords. Holes made by spears. At last, they reached a massive tree.

Under it were two humans, locked in an embrace. A spear beside the woman. A sword beside the man. Both stained with blood. They, like the dragons, were wounded in many places. They seemed to have died, slowly and painfully, from their wounds. Between them Regen spotted a slender, lithe girl, with short red hair and a cute face. Regen shook that last adjective from his mind. He spotted the dragon tattoo on each of their left shoulders. No. Not a tattoo. A birthmark. His father gestured to him, and he lifted the girl over his shoulder. The blacksmith picked up the two dead lovers and they walked back the way they came.


	2. History

_Chapter 2: History_

The girl awoke on a soft bed. For a moment, she thought she was back home, and the events of the past few months had been a bad dream. "Mama. Papa," she called, quietly, as she did every day. Then the pain came rushing back to her, and she realised it was not just a dream. A quick look around revealed un familiar surroundings, and told her that it was all real. A living nightmare. She remembered the terrible battle yesterday, and broke into uncontrollable sobs.

They stirred a young boy from a man's side. The boy had black hair and dark brown eyes, and was very tall. He seemed strong yet gentle. She shook herself from these romantic thoughts about the stranger and remembered the sorrow, and continued crying. The boy comforted her, and the man also came to her.

Their soothing words and the boy's gentle touch calmed her down. He asked her, "What is your name?"

"Sintel," she replied.

"I'm Regen, and this is my father."

For the first time Sintel noticed that both men sported a dragon tattoo on their left shoulders.

"That tattoo…what does it mean?"

The blacksmith chuckled, and spoke for the first time, his voice gruff, "It's not tattoo. It's a birthmark. It's only a tattoo for those who have it on their right shoulders. And if you must know, it means you are a Dragonblood."

"A what?"

"A Dragonblood. Long ago, when the Elder Dragons came to the world, they appointed the noblest men in the world as Guardians, powerful entities gifted with some of the powers of dragons. The blood of dragons coursed through their veins, giving them dragon-shaped birthmarks on their left shoulders, above their hearts. All of them possessed control over light and heat, as well as immortality and various other powers. They were tasked with protecting life, balance and peace, upholding justice and tradition, and fighting for order, duty and honour."

"They did their job well for a great many years, each tied to one of the Elder Dragons, except one dragon. They recruited a large army under the banner of the Dragonblood Order, but realised that mere mortals were not powerful enough to combat the evil Cult of Blood, who believed that by drinking the blood of the Dragons, they, would gain great powers. So the Guardians married amongst themselves, and brought up their children, Dragonbloods, who could be recognised by their dragon birthmark similar to the ones the Guardians carried, to uphold the same values they fought for. Each was mystically tied to a dragon. A normal dragon, that is, one that cannot speak like the Elder Dragons, and was immensely weaker than the Elder Dragons. These Dragonbloods used their powers to help and lead their soldiers, but they, too were hunted for their blood."

"Finally, the Order decided to vanquish the Cult once and for all. The Dragonbloods, who had intermarried and multiplied many times, joined the Guardians in the attack on the Cult headquarters. Some stayed to help lead the armies who would hold off the main forces of the Cult, together with the last Elder Dragon, who was not tied to any Guardian, Path. Path was wise, but not very powerful. She realised that there were not enough Dragonbloods to lead the army. Thus she used her powers to create Honorary Dragonbloods, heroes with dragon _tattoos_ on their right shoulders. Their gifts would not last beyond the individual hero."

"At the Cult fortress, all the Archmages had fallen, except for the Grand Archmage, dark leader of the Cult. The battle went on for hours, until the Elder Dragons finally decided to unleash their most powerful spell. They sealed the Archmage, together with themselves and the Guardians, away in a hidden realm. There is a legend, that only the rain of nourishment and the cinders of hope can free them and defeat the Grand Archmage once and for all. Though I have no idea what that means," he confessed, then continued, "The Cult, demoralised by their mighty fortress being sucked into nowhere, and without the dark magic of their Archmages, were defeated by the Dragonblood Order."

"Only one Dragonblood who entered the fortress left. The others had used some leftover spell energy to push him out of the realm, to tell the tale. We believe we won. Their fortress was destroyed; their leader trapped away forever, and almost all of their men were dead. Most of the Honorary Dragonbloods had died. A few of the True Dragonbloods, that is, descendants of the Guardians like us and your parents, died in the fighting, but many more were slain in the fortress or locked away there. But only a few of the ordinary soldiers survived. We remember not their names, but the ideals that they stood for: order, tradition, duty, honour, mercy and justice."

"The colour of the tattoo represents the powers that you have. For example, my steel-grey dragon, with its details, shows that I am a blacksmith, tied to a strong dragon who breathes fire. Regen's sea-blue dragon, with its details, shows that he is a water healer, he controls ice and water, as well as healing. A common combination, but fairly rare in males. Yours is a fire warrior birthmark. Mainly seen in males, though. You can control fire and are a powerful warrior, despite your slender appearance."

."


	3. Sintel's Side

_Chapter 3: Sintel's Side_

"So who were the men in black?" Sintel asked, curiosity piqued by the legend.

"Like I said," the blacksmith continued, "Almost all the Cult was dead. But recently, they've been gathering followers. They have captured and killed many Dragonbloods. Those who drink the blood are transformed into Dark Dragonbloods, with a dragon of pure blackness, and blood-red eyes on their right shoulders. Anyways, those Cultists wanted your blood. How did you end up intot he forest anyway?"

Sintel started sobbing again. Regen comforted her, and she composed herself enough. "A few months ago, a group of those black-armoured beasts attacked my village, we escaped on the dragons. We ran for many months until we realised we couldn't run any longer. So we took a stand, and…"

Sintel broke into sobs. Regen comforted her again. "It wasn't so different for us, right father? Seeing our friends murdered by Cultists, running from our own home, making friends with dragons, and hiding in a forest were the Cult can't find us…"

Sintel, hearing this looked up. "So you do understand."

"Your parents, they're buried outside," he said.

"Thank you," she said. She shuffled outside. Father and son went back to the pot of stew they were cooking. Both worked in silence. They could hear Sintel sobbing outside.


	4. The Attack

_Chapter 4: The Attack_

It had been two years since Regen had met Sintel. Regen and his father had trained her in the use of many weapons, particularly her mother's spear and a dagger which Regen made for her himself, setting two of her parents' teeth in the blade. Regen displayed mastery of his Dragonblood abilities, and though Sintel failed to do much magic, she was far stronger than she looked due to her warrior dragon affinity. The two had become good friends, the feisty and sassy Sintel, and kind and gentle Regen. Under stress, however, it seemed that their personalities reversed, with Sintel breaking down, and Regen holding fast. They loved each other as brother and sister, and the blacksmith treated her as the daughter he never had. Life was happy and routine.

Until today.

The Cult had finally tracked them down. Steel, the blacksmith's dragon, had spotted it first. Black swarming through the forest. With a gentle growl she alerted her master. The blacksmith came out of the cabin that had been their home for many years and climbed onto the dragon. Scanning the forest, he spotted the dark shapes all around. His keen senses detected the emblems on their armour. Sliding off the dragon, he burst into the cabin. "Regen! Sintel! We're under attack!" The two drew their weapons and rushed out. They readied themselves for combat, drawing their weapons and jumping on Regen's adolescent dragon, Hydra, who could breathe healing mists, freezing cold vapour, or jets of water. The blacksmith mounted Steel and they stood ready to attack.

A fireball burst into the clearing around the cabin, straight towards Hydra. Hydra deflected the flame blast, only to have it strike a wooden shed where the blacksmith stored his coal. "NO!" he howled, as the shed exploded. The flames spread swiftly, and before long the forest was on fire. Regen quickly cast a warding spell over Sintel's parents' graves. That would protect them from the flames for the next 12 hours. Sintel thanked him and he urged the dragon to spray water towards the burning forest. Steel and the blacksmith battled against the remaining Cultists, many of whom had caught fire and were screaming and running around like idiots. The dragon blasted Cultists with small, precisely aimed balls of flame, and stamped, bit and swiped at many, while the blacksmith used his long lance, one of his many weapons, to strike any Cultists within reach. Sintel was doing similarly.

There! Regen spotted the dark mage who was casting fireballs and attacking their father. With a precise whip of water he sent him tumbling into a burning bush. Screaming in pain, shock and panic, he could not steady himself to summon any spells that could help him.

Except one.

With a last vengeful fireball towards Hydra, the dark mage was burnt to death. Hydra bucked and dodged, and the fireball missed Regen by centimetres.

But it hit someone else.

Sintel.

The concussive fireball exploded, sending Sintel tumbling off Hydra. Due to her natural resistance to fire, she was pretty much unscathed. But a wall of flame came between her and Hydra, and Hydra bucked backwards, retreating from the flames and spraying frost vapour everywhere. Regen fought to control it, while hollering at the top of his voice, "Sintel! Run Sintel! Just run! Forget about me!"

Sintel heard this over the crackle of flames. She fled the flaming forest on foot, travelling for many days with only a few limited provisions and clothes in her emergency backpack, and tears constantly in her eyes. She had lost the only family and friends she ever had,a nd was now lost, alone, with only a cloak for cold weather, a blanket and sleeping bag for night, a few scraps of armour, her clothes she wore, a dagger, a water bottle, a spear, a map and a compass to guide her. Following the map in her fireproof, waterproof backpack, she wandered towards a nearby city on the map.

A few days later she stumbled into a wolf trap in the ground in the early hours of the morning. She passed the whole day in extreme discomfort, waiting for someone to free her, to feed her, to help her. She cried herself into a fitful sleep that night.

Voices woke her from her sleep. "Cor, look what the trap brought home taday!"

"Weirdest fox I ever seen," said another voice.

"Ain't no fox, 'tis just a wee girl!" came the first voice.

Rough farmers' hands hauled her out of the pit. She blinked, disoriented and unsused to the light of dawn. "Where yer from? What's yer name? What yer doin' here?" the farmers asked. "I'm…I'm Sintel. I'm from…from a forest…far away. I'm…I'm lost…" and she broke into sobs, remembering the horror of the previous day.

"Poor girl!" "C'mon, let's bring her back to the city." The two farmers brought her to a sprawling metropolis. "Here. No-one's lived in this old shack fer years. I'd love ta help yer fix 'er up, but I've got farmin' ta do and a family ta raise," said the first farmer.

Sintel thanked the farmers and got to work. It would be her home for the next few years.


	5. Old Friends

_Chapter 5: Old Friends_

_Four years later (watch Sintel movie)_

Sintel left the cave, broken-hearted. She padded along, sobbing. She had killed the only friend she had had in a long time. She remembered what the blacksmith ad told her, _e__ach was mystically tied to a dragon_. She must have been the first Dragonblood ever to kill the dragon she was tied to. Quite obviously it was Scales. She developed scars where she had wounded Scales. She dragged the blade she had taken from the bandit, her mother's broken spear in her backpack, sobbing as she went.

She heard a chirp behind her. Whirling around, she spotted the baby dragon. Seeing the offspring of her friend Scales lessened the grief, but only a little. She scooped it up in her arms and walked on, thinking of suitable names. "Draco, perhaps," she decided. Then this momentary source of distraction faded, and her sorrow claimed her again.

Night fell as she walked along the mountain path. She came to an outcropping with a small tent and a campfire on it, and…she rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things, but the pale blue dragon was real. It was Hydra. Racing down the path she saw the tent flap rise, and a confused-looking black-haired, brown-eyed boy peeped out.

"REGEN!" she practically screamed rushing down the path. "Sintel!" he cried, as she tumbled into his arms. For a long moment they just stood there, embracing each other. Tears streaked down their faces.

"I…I thought you died. I thought I lost you."

"I've been trying to find you since the attack. Father died there. So did Steel. She protected his body with hers you know. And your parents' graves too. She's fireproof. For years I searched the area around. Finally I came to the Metropolis. A farmer told me you had come by a few years ago. I thought I would never catch up with you. But hear I am now. Why are you here? Who is that dragon? Is it the dragon you were looking for?"

She told him the story. "…and then I realised Scales' kid was following me, so I picked him up and named him Draco. Then I saw Hydra, your tent, and the campfire, and here we are now."

Regen nodded his head meditatively. "So it seems. Let me see your spear," he said.

Sintel produced her fragmented weapon. Regen whispered some words, and the spear repaired itself. "Thanks. I really preferred this one. It connects me to my mother." She put down the heavy blade. "How could you mend the weapon?" "Well, as a healer, I have to ability to fix anything. Damaged things, wounded people, even broken hearts." Sintel looked hopefully towards him. "So, can you fix mine?" "Of course. There is no heart I would rather mend," he said, winking. Sintel brushed aside some of her hair. Did he actually _hint_ he liked her? "Um, so…you know, since I meet you, I've had these strange feelings around you…and they kind of…flare up whenever I see you do something nice, or smart, or brave…" Regen twiddled his fingers, "Yeah, me too...and they get stronger the more I get to know what a wonderful person you are." He looked up, seeing Sintel's face a few inches from his, her hair falling seductively around her face, her eyes wide and innocent-seeming, the scar on her face both cute and sad…being overwhelmed by her scent…he couldn't control himself. He leaned forward, and the two kissed deeply and passionately.

They only stopped when they started getting short on breath. Breaking away, the two young lovers panted heavily. "I love you, Sintel." Regen said. "I love you too, Regen," Sintel replied. Feelings of sorrow that had haunted her since she left the forest started creeping into the cracks in her ecstasy, but she had lived so long with them, she decided to ignore them. They were both exhausted. Wrapping up warm for the night, they extinguished their campfire and crawled into the tent. Draco hopped in with them and curled up in a corner, falling asleep instantly. Laying there in the darkness, Sintel asked, drowsily, "Regen, after this, when we're old enough, when we can…will you marry me?" Regen replied, equally drowsy, "Of course, my love." There was no note of hesitation in his voice. He drifted off to sleep. Sintel, satisfied and happy, soon fell asleep too.


	6. The Draconic Amulet

_Chapter 6: The Draconic Amulet_

Sintel shot up, fully awake. She looked around, and saw Regen, her love, snoring loudly. That sight restored some joy to her, but her nightmare, the dream about Scales, and the Dragonbloods, and Draco, had stirred the feelings of sorrow again. She sank back onto her sleeping spot, and started sobbing softly. She rolled over, facing the tent wall, and cried. Not long after, she felt Regen's gentle arms around her, calming, soothing and consoling like they had done when he had found her in the woods six years ago.

When she awoke in the morning, haunting feelings of sorrow came back to her. She started sobbing again. Her sobs awoke Regen. "What's wrong, darling?" he asked. "I…I had a dream. About Scales. Didn't you say you had a way?"

"Ah, yes. Our…moment of passion distracted me. Anyway, I've met up with some members of the Dragonblood Order. They told me that a powerful artefact, known as the Draconic Amulet, had been taken long ago from the Order by the Cult. It was very powerful and could restore life to any dragon. A Dragonblood, Honorary or True, who had tamed a dragon, could use it to greatly amplify both their powers. The Cult has been trying to destroy it ever since. But the amulet is virtually indestructible, and apparently it is in the hands of a member of the Cult. A Dark Dragonblood. Her name is Nightshade." He drew out his map, and pointed to a cross on a mountain. "That's her fortress. Only about a day's flight from here on Hydra."

Sintel squealed with delight. She would be able to get back Scales! All she had to do was fly for a day, bust in to a fortress, kill a Dark Dragonblood and take the amulet over her dead body. And the Dragonblood Order would recognize them as heroes. "What are we waiting for?" she cried. "Patience, love. We must eat breakfast first," Regen said, unpacking some rations from his backpack. Draco scampered out of the tent and Sintel sat down next to Regen, enthusiasm hardly dampened. They kissed each other good morning and started preparing their food. They the while watching Draco's silly antics, which reminded Sintel of Scales. "Just a few more days, Draco, and we'll get your daddy back. I promise."


	7. Nightfall, Nightshade

_Chapter 7: Nightfall, Nightshade_

Sintel, arms wrapped around Regen's waist, scanned the ground beneath them as Hydra alighted on an outcropping near the fortress. It was already dusk. Regen was clad from top to toe in lightweight armour, which looked like cloth but was so tough and elastic it would sent a sword struck against it flying into the distance, while Sintel wore her sleeveless shirt and pants, with armoured pads (made by Regen) on her shoulders and knees. Peeping through a hole in a rock face, they could see the black-clad Cultists practicing dragon-slaying and combat manoeuvres. Black banners fluttered ominously in the wind, marked by the Cult emblem.

All of this was overseen by a young girl. Her black sleeveless shirt showed off her muscled arms, and the black dragon tattoo on her right arm. She seemed barely any older than Sintel or Regen, yet had that aura of dominance, power and control around her. Her eyes scanned the mountain, and for a moment the locked with Regen's. He gasped in shock, partly because he had not expected her to see them, and partly because he had not expected her to be so…so…_gorgeous_.

He shook that last thought from his mind, but it returned with a vengeance as she winked at him. Then she barked a command, pointed to him, and retreated into her fortress. Hundreds of pairs of eyes locked on to him.

Hundreds of weapons were drawn.

Hundreds of warriors charged straight at him.

"Sintel! We're under attack!" he yelled, all thoughts of Nightshade dispelled.

"Don't say that!" she cried. "The last time I heard that, it was from the blacksmith, and then he died! And…" her eyes welled up in tears, "I don't want to lose you like I lost the blacksmith."

"Don't be superstitious," he reassured Sintel, but his voice wavered. After all, if faced by an army of hundreds of well-trained soldiers, wielding cruel-looking weapons and literally hungry for your blood, wouldn't you be scared?

Assuming battle stance, with Hydra behind them and Draco cowering heroically behind Sintel's legs, Regen drew out a spear he had made himself, ready to attack any Cultists in range. Powerful jets of water from Hydra sent Cultists screaming and tumbling off the mountain. Regen cast spells, taking down archers and other projectile-launching foes. He also held a small shield in his left hand, which magically created a field that repelled incoming projectiles hurled at them and occasionally causing them to strike fellow Cultists. There was no clear path that led straight to the outcropping, and many of their attackers lost their footing, tumbling to their doom. The Cultists ignored their fallen brothers, each dreaming of the powers they would get once they slew these two and drank their blood. But none of them got even close without being speared by Sintel & Regen.

Neither noticed a dark mage readying a spell. But they did notice the result. A huge fireball blasted their rock shield into oblivion, leaving them now under attack from multiple sides. Hydra, in his panic, blasted frost vapour all around, but the unfrozen Cultists ruthlessly shattered the frozen obstructions in their path than had been their comrades mere seconds ago, unhindered in their pursuit for power by virtue, mercy or compassion. Hydra sprayed more frost vapour, as Regen and Sintel ducked low, attempting to avoid being turned into frost statues themselves, while stabbing at any attackers who came close enough. Regen cast spells at the dark mages in their characteristic black-and-red robes, preventing them from unleashing any more devastating spells, while deflecting incoming projectiles and shielding Hydra.

By now some of the Cultists were turning to retreat, only to lose their footing and fall to their deaths. The Cultsist around them were starting to doubt that they would overcome this small efficient team. Even Draco was now filled with confidence, sniping at projectile-launchers with fireballs and sending nearby enemies of the cliff in flames.

But then everything went horribly wrong. A dark mage cast a spell which shifted the ground beneath Regen's feet, sending him downhill, screaming as he ploughed through Cultists. Sintel gasped in shock as Regen crashed headfirst into the ground. He tried to cast a protective shield, but that only stopped him from breaking his neck, not from being knocked unconscious.

Cultists swarmed over his unconscious form, cruel knives in hand, hungry for his blood. They tugged at his armour, trying to locate and sever the straps…

"VOOM!" A blast of flame came down, melting and almost simultaneously incinerating any frozen Cultists in its path, and setting Cultists around Regen on fire, forcing them away from him.

"NOBODY…HURTS…REGEN!" Sintel bellowed, her eyes a fiery blaze, emphasizing each word with another fireball. The heat awoke Regen, whose eyes inched open. Seeing Sintel unleashing blasts of flame was something his mind simply could not compute, so he simply assumed he was in the next life. _Though I didn't expect to be, well, down here. And I didn't think damnation would be so…hot, in more ways than one, _he thought, staring at Sintel's true destructive potential unleashed. He found it both frightening and, strangely, _beautiful_. Then suddenly his keen mind snapped back to reality, and he realised he was still, amazingly, alive, that Sintel, seeing him in mortal danger, had unlocked her Dragonblood fire powers, and was presently incinerating what was left of the Cultists that attacked them. Even Hydra, with Draco heroically cowering behind _his_ legs his time, was shocked into inaction. In a few seconds, the all members of the attack force were either on fire, dead, or gone. Regen climbed up the slope, batting aside any surviving Cultists who were making last-ditch attempts to take him down. Sintel spotted him, gasped in surprise and hurled a fireball at him. Regen, equally surprised at her surprise (but more so at the fireball) ducked, and he heard a scream as a Cultist, Sintel's real target, who had snuck up behind him while Regen had thought he had fallen to his death, caught fire and fell off again, but dying this time.

Reaching the outcropping, he saw Sintel panting and exhausted. Still overcome by awe with her display of power, he could barely manage a "Thanks." She smiled weakly, "No problem. C'mon, we've got an amulet to get back."

Taking the fortress was far too easy. Most of the guards had already fled, and the remaining few were bracing against the main door. Regen rammed against it with a battering ram of ice, but it held fast. Sintel, with a controlled burst of flame, seared off the edges of the door, including any bolts and the door hinges, and one final ram knocked the door over. Anyone not crushed ran for their lives.

Night had already fallen. The two, followed by Hydra with Draco on his back, padded softly through the strangely empty halls. The awkwardness was amplified by the equipment and belongings strewn all around. Each silently acknowledged how strange it was for an army of trained fighters to drop everything and run from two kids. The moonlight streamed through the windows eerily. They walked cautiously, as if disrupting the ethereal silence would collapse the fortress.

Climbing up a winding, ornate, staircase, they eventually came to a grand-looking door. With four quite swishes of water, the hinges were lubricated and probably creak-proof. After all, why take the chance when there could be anything behind that door?

In fact, there was. Still in her black sleeveless shirt, with armour pads like Sintel, sitting cross-legged and with her eyes shut, was Nightshade. Regen couldn't help but notice how beautiful and serene she seemed.

Without warning, she sprang to her feet and unleashed a wave of dark energy that drained the life from both of them and sent Sintel tumbling. Now it was her turn to be unconscious, after expending so much energy saving Regen.

Regen glanced at Sintel, but Nightshade said, "Why are you so concerned with that bimbo? Won't it be better to go out with someone smart, sexy and beautiful?" her tone was dangerously seductive. Her voice was so persuasive it practically wrenched his view from Sintel to Nightshade. Only then did he appreciate how beautiful she actually was. Her black hair fell freely over her shoulders, her eyes were brown like his, but not large like Sintel's, or narrow like his, but a very sexy compromise. He shook his head, trying to dislodge these suggestive adjectives from his mind, but failing. She fixed him with that glare, and advanced towards him.

In his mind, a moral dilemma raged. Sintel. Probably his best friend, definitely his best _human_ friend and, now, his lover. They had known each other since they were ten, and went through most of their adolescent years together, troubled by repressed feelings of mutual affection. And now here was this sexy, smart girl. She was also very powerful. Money, power, sex…what more could he want?

Right then, the answer clicked. _Love._ He wanted love. Not just affection but love. Like how his father loved him, how Sintel, kind, beautiful, and clever, loved him, not unbridled carnal lust! No, he wanted transcendental love, not an object of carnal ravish!

"All you need to do, is to just unleash your power on that bimbo. Then, we shall feast on her blood, and you shall no longer be called _just_ a petty _True_ Dragonblood, but a truly powerful _Dark_ Dragonblood!"

Her seductive voice and lustful gaze almost consumed him, but that last jab at his father returned his feelings of anger. He barely controlled himself, but managed to turn himself away from Nightshade and focus on Sintel. For once she actually looked _fragile_, despite being a warrior and all, albeit still very beautiful.

He executed the last stage of his plan. He unleashed a blast of power, but not destructive power. A burst of _healing_.

Too late, Nightshade realised what had happened. Before she could react, Regen pinned her to a wall with a jet of water. She slumped to the ground, unconscious. Regen almost wanted to kill her, but thought he had slaughtered enough for one day. Reaching around her neck, he removed an amulet. It looked pretty much like how the Order members had described it. He produced some twine and bound Nightshade tightly, removing and any weapons on her.

"Regen…" Sintel called out weakly. Regen turned around, Sintel was getting up. He walked towards her and embraced him, as blue light flowed around her, revitalising her. "I have the amulet, darling," he said, pecking her on the lips. "We'll turn _her_ over to the Order, together with the amulet."

Sintel seemed uncomfortable.

"Of course, that's after restoring Scales," and her cheery complexion returned.


	8. Saving Scales

_Chapter 8: Saving Scales_

Hydra landed gently at the cave which Sintel lived in. They had flown all the way with Nightshade between Regen and Sintel, who was watching Nightshade. Draco had no qualms about using the limp Nightshade as a mattress.

They got out, Draco taking the lead (for once), enthusiastic to be home. Regen compared Sintel's cute (in his mind) scars to the wounds on Scales. "Hmmm," he hmmmed deeply. "It appears Scales _is_ bound to you," he concluded, "So you will need to use the Amulet."

"How?"

"Well, I don't quite know," Regen said, scratching his head. "Well, maybe you could grip it and press it to Scales' wounds, and try to channel your power through it?"

Sintel took the Amulet from Regen, and pressed it to the last wound she made on Scales. Her enthusiasm was dampened by the bad memories of slaying her friend, but she forced her power through the Amulet, like how she had forced it through her blade when Regen fell off the slope.

The Amulet began to glow. The cave was silent, save for the hum of power emanating from the Amulet. A similar warm glow spread around Scales, his injuries glowing most brilliantly. Sintel thought she saw an eyelid flicker weakly, and her concentration almost broke because of the euphoria.

By now, the glow was almost blinding. A dark shape in the glow rose on all fours. Sintel was becoming even more ecstatic. The brilliantly-glowing wounds were sealing themselves. The eyelids blinked. And the glow began to fade.

"SCALES! YOU'RE ALIVE!" she practically squealed with delight, hugging the creature, and whispering softly, "I'm so sorry, Scales…I didn't know it was you…I'm so sorry…"

Regen came up to her, noticing that her scars faded, and she planted a kiss on his lips. "Thank you Regen! Thank you so much!" The usually tough-as-nails Sintel was breaking down in emotion again.

"How sweet."

All eyes turned towards the entrance of the cave. There, framed by the light outside the cave, was nightshade. Under other circumstances Regen would have thought her beautiful, but this particularly woman had nearly made him kill his _girlfriend_. And how the heck did she escape? What happened to Hydra?

"In case you are wondering, I was faking, I wasn't really unconscious. I'll reek of dragon butt, but it's better than ending in the hands of your freaks at the _Order_," she said, disgustedly. "I drained every ounce of power from that ugly blue thing. It's probably dead by now." Regen knew this was a lie. He would have felt something if the dragon died. "So I froze the bonds and broke them. And now, as a final irony, I shall use those powers to KILL YOU BOTH!" she howled, unleashing a jet of water. But the blast just splashed off onto the floor. "You forget, lady. I CONTROL GODAMN WATER!" Regen bellowed. The water shot back to Nightshade, who threw up a shield of ice. It cracked, but held.

Sintel urged Scales, who fired a huge fireball at the ice shield. It melted into a pool of water, as Regen resummoned the water and slammed it into Nightshade, sending her tumbling down the slope. "Well, that's the last we'll see of her," remarked Regen. "C'mon, we have to restore Hydra."

Holding the Amulet to Hydra, Regen channelled his power through it. Hydra glowed an ethereal blue, revitalised by the energy. He roared, and that sound resonated throughout the mountains. There was a strange rumbling.

"AVALANCHE!" Regen cried. Draco jumped on Scales with Sintel, and Regen on Hydra, and the two dragons rushed down the mountain as rocks crashed down the mountainside.

As the two dragons glid down the mountainside, they spotted a bruised, battered, and unconscious, but alive, Nightshade at the foot of the mountain. If they had left her there, she would be very bruised, very battered, and very dead. Not wanted o have to get any more people killed, Regen scooped up Nightshade and flew straight to the nearest Order outpost.


	9. A New Mission

_Chapter 9: A New Mission_

"Cuthbert, come here and take a look!" General Cuthbert, the elder commander of the only outpost for miles around on a godforsaken plain of snow, walked towards the gates, summoned by his men and sentries. He saw two Dragonbloods, a fire warrior and a water healer, carrying…_was that Nightshade?_

"Bring them to my office," he said simply.

"WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT!" he cried. "You two managed to capture a Dark Dragonblood, in a high commanding position no less, without alerting the guards, and even recovered an artifact! We've been trying to amass troops for days you know…getting quite dangerous there…"

"Um, sir, not quite, it was more of a hack-and-slash thing you know…"

"EVEN BETTER! TWO KIDS, taking down AN ENTIRE FORTRESS! May I ask, who are you parents?"

They told him.

"I see. Many of my superiors feared old hammerhead, a very useful chap he was, and his son, had died," he addressed Regen. "And you, lovely young lady, I haven't quite met your parents. They weren't part of the Order, I take?"

"Never heard of the Order till I met Regen."

"Regen? Is that the boy's name?"

"Yes sir. And I'm Sintel."

"Regen and Sintel…Rain and Cinder…Two dragons…truly fascinating…"

"What's wrong sir?" piped Regen.

"Well, Regen, you see, there is a prophecy that has been interpreted to mean that there will be two Dragonbloods, referred to as "nourishing rain" and "cinder of hope". These Dragonbloods are said to be very powerful, and that their childhoods will be spent in sorrow, uncertainty and confusion, but they are bonded by the most powerful force known to man. Oh yeah, and the "cinder" Dragonblood will be tied to _two_ dragons."

Regen and Sintel looked at each other nervously. Could Sintel possibly be tied to _both_ Draco _and_ Scales? If so, what was the significance of being mentioned in the prophecy? "Um, sir," Regen asked, "What were these prophesied Dragonbloods supposed to do?"

"Ah, yes. The prophecy is written on a scroll that the only escaping Dragonblood was given. Escaping from the fortress of the Grand Archmage of the Cult, that is. I'm sure old hammerhead told you the story."

"Yes, of course. Wouldn't want to bore the socks off the readers by lengthening this chapter any further now do we?" said Regen.

"Ok, so anyway, the prophecy concerned the only beings who could open the portal to the hidden realm, bring back the Guardian and the Elder Dragons, together with all the lost Dragonbloods, destroy the Fortress and finish the age-old war by killing the Archmage. Now popular cliché dictates that I show you a transcription of the prophecy, but the author is too unpoetic and lazy to actually write it, I mean the author does not want to make this tale any more clichéd, so I won't. Anyways, I will have to fly with you to Order HQ to get backup and the approval of the Council of Elders and Path, the last Elder Dragon. Sleep well. We have many long journeys ahead of us. And one more thing, Regen."

"What?"

"Keep that amulet. You'll need it."


	10. Following The Path

_Chapter 10: Following the Path_

That night, they actually slept on beds instead of on a dragon. It was, suffice to say, a comfortable experience that they rarely enjoyed over the past few years, with Sintel searching for Scales and Regen searching for Sintel.

They woke up and kissed each other good morning. It had been a few days since they last did. Packing their things, they prepared to leave for Order HQ.

Accompanied by General Cuthbert, and a fleet of Honorary Dragonbloods, they landed at the majestic Dragonblood Order Headquarters. Their journey had been without event. Cuthbert escorted them to the Council Room and knocked politely.

"Enter, Cuthbert. We've been expecting you."

Cuthbert pushed open the door and the jaws of Sintel and Regen dropped to the ground.

The room was colossal.

It had to be, to fit the massive Dragon which took up nearly half the room. Her head was slumped on the floor, but she seemed very much awake. Different-sized chairs occupied the room, each holding a different member of the council. They were arranged in a circle, with the tip of the dragon's snout taking of the size and position of a chair.

Cuthbert said, "Welcome, children, to the Council Room. This majestic Dragon here is Path, the immortal leader of the Dragonblood Order, Bestower of Honorary Dragonblood Powers, and the last Elder Dragon still in our realm."

"Cuthbert. Why have you brought mere children to the Council Room?" and elder Councillor asked

"Well, I ha-have re-reasons to be-believe that they fulfil the prophecy."

There was a collective gasp.

The same Councillor returned his composure. "What reasons?"

Regen spoke, "Well, first of all sir, 'Regen', my name, means 'rain'. In addition, I am a healer, thus it would be fitting to describe me as a 'nourishing rain', as the prophecy mentioned. Also, Sintel, here, whose name means 'cinder', has spent many years of her life clinging on to a thin shred of hope that she might find her dragon, appropriating the title "cinder of hope" and bringing to my next point, about her possibly being bonded to two dragons…"

After a few more minutes of convincing argument, Regen rounded up with, "…as for the part about being bonded with the strongest force known to man, I believe that force is love. And as you might be able to tell from the story of Nightshade, I very truly do love Sintel, and I'm sure the feeling is reciprocated. So therefore I present this evidence to the Council, and the most noble Elder Dragon Path, to accept or reject based on their superior powers of judgement."

Panting heavily, Regen looked for a seat. He did not need to. Sintel rushed over as soon as he was done, and embraced him, her arms supporting him, kissed him passionately. Their tongues interlaced and ran over each other, and, despite the fairly loud murmurings of the Councillors, they heard no sound except each others' heartbeats.

"Ahem." The Councillor cleared his throat. "The Honourable Path wishes to speak."

"I support the claim of General Cuthbert, and that of the True Dragonbloods Regen and Sintel. Councillors, gather what forces we have. Should they fail and the Grand Archmage return, though that is highly unlikely, we will have to down him ourselves. For your own safety, Dragonbloods, your room will be heavily guarded tonight. We leave tomorrow. To protect you, you and your Dragons may ride on me."


	11. The Final Battle

_Chapter 11: The Final Battle_

Flames were everywhere. A dark cloaked figure. A hellish fortress on Earth. Screams. Fallen warriors. Many dead Dragons. One of them…Path.

Sintel shot out of bed, the sheets drenched with sweat. She prodded Regen on the other bed. He snored loudly on. Hardly daring to move, she climbed out of bed and curled up on Regen's.

This seemed to afford him considerable discomfort, enough to rouse him.

"Sintel?"

"Regen."

"What is it?"

"A-are you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"I-I had a dream. A nightmare. We failed. The Grand Archmage killed all of us. Even Path."

"Don't be afraid. It's in the prophecy, remember? We will end the war."

"We don't even know what the prophecy is!"

"Don't worry. As long as we're together, everything will turn out right. Okay?"

Regen's arms wrapped around her again, consoling her. In his warm embrace, she fell asleep.

The site was not too far from the HQ. "You have to link hands and use your powers to tear a hole through reality," said Cuthbert after leading them to the right spot. "The fortress will appear here, exactly where it was millennia ago. It will displace anything which is in the same spot any part of it is into the other dimension. Jump, unless you want to have your legs part of the floor," Cuthbert reminded them. He joined his troops a safe distance away.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Sintel?"

"If it will stop that damn Cult, then HELL YEAH!"

"Why do you think I like you so much, darling?"

They kissed briefly and linked hands, summoning their powers.

Flame and water intertwined, miraculously not combining into steam. They forced all of it into a single spot, summoning more and more.

"FLOOM!" A sonic wave ripped through the battlefield. "JUMP!" Regen called at the top of his lungs. Sintel seemed to hear him and they launched themselves into the air in perfect harmony.

Suddenly an elaborate throne room appeared around them. An exquisitely decorated throne sat on a pedestal on one end. Facing it, on the ground was a semicircle of chairs, each plainly carved. Laying all around were dead warriors, many wearing heavy armour emblazoned with the Dragonblood Order Emblem. A few wore robes like those of Dark Mages, except far more ornate. However, the man standing before the throne was even more ornately decorated; with robes that looked they would have been more expensive than the entire castle had it been made of gold. Then there were the robed men, who must have been the legendary Guardians, and the majestic, massive Elder Dragons, each roughly the size of path, standing in loose formation, and not even touching the walls.

Then everything started moving. The Archmage's hands pushed forward but nothing happened. Sintel, who was near him, stabbed out with her spear and swung the off-balance man onto the floor. She lifted her spear and stabbed down at his face.

Then everything went wrong. The man lifted his hands and it seemed as though a wall of force was pushing the spear back. Suddenly, she was catapulted into the air and slammed onto the ground, a few metres back. Regen rushed to tend to her, as the Guardians and Dragons unleashed their fury on the Archmage while he was on the floor. However, he reacted swifter than they had expected, leaping to his feet and sending them back in an explosion of force. They steeled themselves for the next barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile, Regen was trying all his healing on Sintel. She was revived, but she was still very weak. Regen channelled as much power as he could into her, both their bodies glowing with light, but she was showing minimal progress.

Outside the castle, Hydra and Scales could sense the unease of their Dragonbloods. Bringing Draco and with Path behind them, they barged into the castle, charging as quickly as they could towards the throne room.

Regen was nearly spent. He had channelled as much power as he could into her, but she was still barely hanging on. "Regen…" she whispered.

"Sintel."

"I-I think I'm going to die. Don't worry about me. Do what I failed. Kill the Archmage."

"Sintel…"

She thought she heard him sob. This was the first time he'd seen her cry.

"I…I just want you to know that I love you, Regen, and always have."

"So have I, Sintel."

"Kiss me…one…more…time…"

He did.

And when their lips locked, she thought she heard the Archmage gasp.

And then their bodies started glowing.

They were glowing a deep purple, thinning out to blue at Regen and red at Sintel, but purple spreading from the middle. Their glows became stronger, the purple claiming more of them, and finally being unleashed in a wave of power. It slammed the Archmage to the ground and healed the wounded around them. The wave carried the bodies of the fallen to beyond the castle and even charged up the Guardians and dragons in the castle.

They had tapped their greatest power.

_Love_.

And, moving in perfect synchronisation, still sheathed in purple auras, they lunged into the air, weapons at the ready, and brought them down on the Archmage. They pierced the robes, but only by a few millimetres.

The Archmage faced his purple-glowing foes, who were casting their strange light on him. But, try as he might, he could not unleash any dark spells. Seeing this, Sintel and Regen attacked his neck, but he drew a sabre and parried just in the nick of time. Uncrossing their weapons, they fought again, the duel taxing for all of them. Unleashing their powers was useless as his robe refused to catch fire, he could not be blasted back, and ice cracked off his robes.

The doors burst open and Hydra, Draco, Scales and Path entered. Hydra, Scales and Draco flew right towards them. Whispering to Sintel, Regen told her the plan , and she disengaged from combat to communicate it to the others, who were stunned silent by two purple glowing warriors handling the Archmage on their own.

They readied themselves and Regen disengaged, flipping onto Hydra who swooped nearby. Hydra rendezvoused with Scales in the middle of the room, who was carrying Sintel on his back, and they both jumped off, locking in an embrace and kissing.

Another purple wave, more intense than the first, slammed through the room. At this moment, all those aligned with the Dragonblood Order unleashed every last bit of power they had. Charged by the purple wave, even Draco could unleash a stream of pure flame. All their power combined slammed into the already exhausted and dazed the Archmage.

Regen and Sintel broke their kiss, lunging towards the Archmage who had every armoured layer on his body (which was everything but his underwear) singed off. Their blades simultaneously plunged his heart.

The purple-charged warriors, together with Regen and Sintel, turned semi-transparent. The Archmage's pent-up power exploded, blasting the fortress into oblivion. Everyone faded back in.

The first thing Sintel did was give Regen a great big kiss.


	12. Epilogue

_Chapter 12: Epilogue_

The gentle yet majestic Path lifted off, carrying the two heroes in front of the fleet. Never in anyone's living memory had there been a sight grander. Warriors carried the corpses of long-dead heroes on their dragons, some of whom towed the fallen dragons. Non- Dragonbloods sat on the Dragonblood dragons, happy and content, but all tired. The massive path carried the two heroes and their dragons, permitted to lead the entire Dragonblood Order for her services.

With their dragons snoozing, Sintel and Regen sat facing each other. Both smiled exuberantly. Sintel spoke first. "Regen, I love you SOOOOO much. You're so kind, gentle and funny, yet brave, clever and handsome."

Regen smiled back. "Sintel. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Also the smartest and nicest. I can't believe you actually went so far for Scales! And you cared for him so much you actually didn't hesitate to kill him when you thought he was in your way! Sintel, you are truly admirable," said Regen, his tone sincere and loving.

Sintel giggled, "You went as far for me, Regen. Luckily you didn't kill me."

Scales snorted in his sleep.

They both laughed.

"That reminds me," he said, choking back mirthful peals of laughter, "Are you still going to marry me?"

Sintel stopped laughing. "YOU COMPLETE IMBECILE!" she roared. She laughed at Regen's expression. "Of course! You'd have to be really stupid to think otherwise."

Regen laughed louder than before. They huddled together; cuddling up on Path's back, being lulled to sleep by the gentle rhythm of her wings. Sintel could faintly hear murmurings of the Council arranging for a complete reconstruction of the Council Room.

Then they kissed, more passionately than ever. Though they had kissed before, this felt like a first kiss again.

_Four years later…_

"Good morning, Regen," Sintel said, walking down the steps of their elaborate villa to the dining room. The villa was in the same spot where their cabin was, but the Guardians helped them rebuild it, and also build a Dragonblood Fortress nearby in the forest. They were, naturally, the commanders.

They had, as planned, got married, and now had a beautiful baby girl whom they named Ash, and a fraternal twin for her, named Smoke, a boy this time. Both were powerful Dragonbloods.

Regen smiled. "Come, my darling. Let us take a walk," Regen said.

He kissed her good morning (as they did every day) and gracefully led her out of the house and into the forest.

She gasped.

It was the same place where her parents had died. Regen had put off visiting her parent's graves and walking in the forest for quite awhile. This explained it.

Before them lay an elaborate mausoleum. Carved on its walls were the stories of how Sintel's parents died, and also how the blacksmith, and Steel, had been killed. All of their bodies were buried here.

"Now everyone will remember us," Regen smiled.

"Thank you, Regen! Thank you so much!"

And she kissed him passionately again, like how it had happened with Scales, but the kiss had the ferocity of their first.

THE END

**A/N Ok so that's it! The first Sintel fanfic in the world. Tell me if you loved it or hated it. And please read my comments in the reviews. I might edit this story for style if I'm free, but the plot is done.**


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